[OCSC-news] Hi OCSC news - local newspaper publishes guest column

[David W. Oaks]

HI Oregon Consumer/Survivor Coalition NEWS:

Our local newspaper -- Eugene Register-Guard -- published my guest  
column on CHOICE IN MENTAL HEALTH.

I love that they published it today, which is also Human Rights Day.

BELOW is an ALERT we put out to several of our e-mail lists.

It starts with the text of my guest column, followed by lots and lots  
of ways to help out....

WE ARE E-MAILING THIS OUT ALL OVER, sorry for any duplicates.

Please note that we do not always e-mail every MindFreedom Oregon  
alert to this OCSC news list.

Our MindFreedom Oregon list is not too much e-mail, it's no spam and  
it's private. If you want to get MindFreedom Oregon public e-mail news  
alerts, for free, just sign up here:

http://www.intenex.net/lists/listinfo/mindfreedom-oregon-news

But best of all would be those of you who want to unite for a  
nonviolent REVOLUTION in mental health, please join and donate to  
MindFreedom as a MEMBER during this crucial end-of-year-support drive.

Just one reason:

We have close to 100 groups in our global coalition, and many are  
funded by the mental health system and government. That's as it should  
be, and they all deserve MORE funding.

But there is ALSO a place for INDEPENDENT ACTIVISM. After 33 years in  
this field, I have seen the role of this community organizing, it can  
be like the yeast that helps bread rise.

You can ask any of the other groups in OCSC itself, and they'll let  
you know we've been pitching in, "in a spirit of mutual cooperation,"  
as our mission statement begins.

MindFreedom is one of the 100 percent  totally independent coalitions  
that really supports unity.

So really, everyone, whatever group you are already in, please ALSO  
consider being a member of MindFreedom International! You can join/ 
donate here:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

Okay, below is my guest column... with actions to take... hope you  
like it?

- David W. Oaks, Director, MindFreedom International

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Eugene Register-Guard -- 10 December 2009

GUEST VIEWPOINT: Eugene recognizes mental health patients have rights,  
too

BY DAVID OAKS

Two famous authors from Lane County -- Opal Whiteley and Ken Kesey --  
had significant interactions with the mental health system. Whiteley,  
who portrayed the woods around where she grew up near Cottage Grove as  
a fairyland, ended up in a psychiatric institution in England for more  
than 40 years. Kesey, whose novels are interwoven with what amount to  
love poems to rural Lane County, used the authoritarianism he  
witnessed while working inside a psychiatric institution as a metaphor  
for conventional society in his bestseller, “One Flew Over the  
Cuckoo’s Nest.”

I like to think this coincidence has something to do with our  
closeness to what’s left of America’s wilderness. When I swim in an  
Oregon mountain lake surrounded by ancient trees, I feel alive in  
mysterious ways that do seem “northwest of normal,” as our popular  
local slogan puts it. Our civic “mad pride” contributed to the recent  
passage by the city of Eugene of the first and only municipal  
resolution I know of that affirms support for human rights in mental  
health.

Today, the 61st anniversary of the adoption by the United Nations of  
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, is a good day to celebrate  
that resolution’s approval.

When the media cover those of us with psychiatric labels, it’s often  
about the small fraction who are violent; but there are many Lane  
County citizens with mental health histories who are contributing  
positively every day, such as psychiatric survivor Hugh Massengill.  
The resolution emerged from a process that began in 2004 when the  
Eugene Human Rights Commission adopted the issue as a priority because  
of encouragement from Massengill, who was then a commissioner.

Guided by advocate Carmen Urbina, the city sponsored a series of  
public forums where citizens diagnosed with psychiatric disabilities  
dialogued with mental health professionals, judges, family members and  
the public, culminating in a large conference at the University of  
Oregon in 2006.

This momentum launched the “Opal Network” in May 2007. Named after the  
author, these quarterly meetings bring together all who seek to  
amplify the often-ignored voice of mental health consumers and  
psychiatric survivors.

The local cross-disability organization, Lane Independent Living  
Alliance, especially LILA counselor Bjo Ashwill, spearheaded this  
innovative coalition, which is gaining national attention.

Holly LeMasurier, a human rights analyst for the city of Eugene’s  
Equity and Human Rights Center, helped distill the conclusions of  
these past five years of grass-roots community organizing into  
Resolution 4989, which the City Council unanimously passed on Oct. 26.  
The resolution affirms the human right of citizens to have more  
empowering choices in the mental health system, including more nondrug  
alternatives, for complete recovery.

Psychiatric survivor advocate Tracey “TC” Dumas spoke in front of the  
Eugene City Council to thank its members.

Dumas, who survived forced electroshock as a teenager and went on to  
earn her Ph.D. at the University of Oregon, said, “I’ve been in the  
mental health system for 35 years. Many people are not offered  
choices. I just want to say ‘thank you,’ especially to you Mayor Kitty  
Piercy, who wanted to see this resolution happen.”

Ron Unger, coordinator of MindFreedom Lane County, did a lot of the  
background work for the resolution.

He told the City Council, “I am a mental health counselor. One size  
does not fit all. Especially to reach young people, the mental health  
system needs to be much more positive and helpful. Thank you for  
passing this resolution.”

The resolution does not shy away from one of the most controversial  
topics in mental health, the over-prescription of psychiatric drugs.

One paragraph in the resolution states, “Many people determine that  
psychiatric medications are quite helpful for their mental and  
emotional conditions, and are grateful to have the opportunity to take  
them. Others find medications to be harmful to their health, unhelpful  
and/or excessively intrusive and problematic. When people seek  
treatment and are offered medication as the only treatment option,  
they may feel coerced into choosing that option. Many of the  
medications currently provided are typically associated with  
significant medical risk, are often experienced as subjectively  
harmful, and their long-term effectiveness remains controversial.  
Furthermore, there are widely researched psychosocial alternative  
treatments likely to be at least as effective for many, with fewer  
harmful effects.”

The resolution concludes by calling for two goals:

First, “All mental health service providers within the city of Eugene  
are encouraged to incorporate self determination and consumer choice  
as much as possible, with accurate information provided to consumers  
and to families about those choices. Special emphasis should be placed  
on providing diverse alternatives in treatments, including nondrug  
alternatives, whenever possible.”

Second, “All mental health service providers within the city of Eugene  
are urged to offer a full range of choices designed to assist in  
complete recovery.”

The independent mental health advocacy nonprofit that I direct is  
publicizing Resolution 4989 internationally in the hope that other  
cities will pass similar resolutions. I think Opal Whiteley and Ken  
Kesey would be proud.

[David Oaks (lane at mindfreedom.org) of Eugene is director of  
MindFreedom International. The next Opal Network meeting is at 2 p.m.  
Dec. 29 at the Eugene Public Library.]

~~~~~~~~~~~~

* * * ACTION * * * ACTION * * * ACTION * * *

* FORWARD this op ed to all interested people on and off Internet!

* ENCOURAGE other cities, agencies and organizations to adopt it.

BELOW PLEASE FIND:

* The TEXT of City of Eugene Resolution 4989 on Choice in Mental Health

* How to DOWNLOAD a one-page PDF version of Resolution 4989.

* How to write a LETTER to editor of The Register-Guard -- now is a  
great time to do this!

* How to participate in Oregon activities to change the mental health  
system.

* Why JOIN and DONATE to MindFreedom International, NOW, during MFI's  
end-of-year support drive, here:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TEXT:

City of Eugene • City Council

RESOLUTION NO. 4989

A RESOLUTION AFFIRMING THE CITY'S COMMITMENT TO HUMAN RIGHTS AND  
MENTAL HEALTH CARE.

The City Council of the City of Eugene finds that:

A. The City Council of the City of Eugene recognizes that the  
diversity of our population is vital to our community's character, and  
that we have a long tradition of protecting and expanding human rights  
and civil liberties protections for all of our residents, including  
persons with all types of disabilities.

B. U.S. Courts have affirmed a number of rights for people diagnosed  
with mental disabilities. At the national level, the right to choose  
to live in the least restrictive environment that is reasonably  
available has been affirmed. At the state level, a number of courts  
have affirmed a person's right to refuse psychotropic medications,  
even when the state has a "compelling interest" in providing  
treatment, if less intrusive, effective treatment alternatives exist.  
These decisions are consistent with the principle that all people have  
the right to lives free of unnecessary restrictions and intrusions.

C. Many people determine that psychiatric medications are quite  
helpful for their mental and emotional conditions, and are grateful to  
have the opportunity to take them. Others find medications to be  
harmful to their health, unhelpful and/or excessively intrusive and  
problematic. When people seek treatment and are offered medication as  
the only treatment option, they may feel coerced into choosing that  
option. Many of the medications currently provided are typically  
associated with significant medical risk, are often experienced as  
subjectively harmful, and their long-term effectiveness remains  
controversial. Furthermore, there are widely researched psychosocial  
alternative treatments likely to be at least as effective for many,  
with fewer harmful effects.

D. Many mental health problems are caused by trauma and human rights  
violations, such as child abuse, war, racism, lack of housing and  
economic opportunities, domestic violence, and others. A key element  
in any kind of trauma is the denial of choice. When people who have  
been traumatized are denied choices in recovery, an effect may be  
retraumatization.

E. Serious psychiatric disorder is often thought of as inevitably a  
permanent condition requiring a lifetime of medication, however  
research shows that a substantial fraction of those with even the most  
serious diagnoses do fully recover, eventually not requiring  
treatment. Treatment choices, designed to foster rehabilitation and  
recovery, which include working, living, and participating in the life  
of the community, have been shown to increase such recovery.

NOW, THEREFORE,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF EUGENE, a Municipal  
Corporation of the State of Oregon, as follows:

Section 1. All mental health service providers within the City of  
Eugene are encouraged to incorporate self determination and consumer  
choice as much as possible, with accurate information provided to  
consumers and to families about those choices. Special emphasis should  
be placed on providing diverse alternatives in treatments, including  
non-drug alternatives, whenever possible

Section 2. All mental health service providers within the City of  
Eugene are urged to offer a full range of choices designed to assist  
in complete recovery.

Section 3. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its  
adoption.

The foregoing Resolution adopted the 26 day of October, 2009.

[signed] Acting City Recorder

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TO LEARN MORE, AND DOWNLOAD A ONE-PAGE PDF OF RESOLUTION

For more info on the resolution, including photo and links, go to:
http://www.mindfreedom.org/lane

To download a one-page PDF of the signed resolution, go to:
http://bit.ly/eugene-4989-1

~~~~~~~~~~~~

HOW TO WRITE A LETTER TO EDITOR OF THE REGISTER-GUARD

Now is a great time to e-mail in a LETTER TO THE EDITOR of The Eugene  
Register-Guard affirming the opinion above.

People in Oregon -- especially near Lane County -- have the best  
chance of getting a letter published.

Your letter *must* be below 250 words. Your own words and story are  
best. E-mail to: rgletters at registerguard.com

 From the newspaper's guidelines: "Letters must be signed with the  
writers full name. An address and daytime telephone number are needed  
for verification purposes; this information will not be published or  
released."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

HOW TO PARTICIPATE in OREGON activities for choice in mental health!

Support the state-wide Oregon Consumer/Survivor Coalition!

You can get on the OCSC e-mail news list for free here:

http://www.intenex.net/lists/listinfo/ocsc-news

For more info on OCSC, e-mail here:

oregon.united at gmail.com

~~~~~~~~~~~~

CELEBRATE VICTORIES FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN MENTAL HEALTH...

Join and donate to MindFreedom International today!

MindFreedom is doing more than ever right here in Oregon. So let's  
show our appreciation!

Support MindFreedom International END OF YEAR DRIVE for members and  
donations, here, today:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

The new MindFreedom Journal #50 is NOW AT THE PRESS. By joining or  
renewing today, you make sure you are the FIRST to get these 16-pages  
packed with news, color photos, poetry, interviews and more.

BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, by joining and donating today...

You unite for a nonviolent REVOLUTION in the mental health system!

MindFreedom International is one of the few totally INDEPENDENT mental  
health advocacy groups, with zero funding from government, mental  
health systems or corporations.

Especially during this difficult year, that means your support is  
absolutely crucial and urgent.

Please donate, join or renew your MindFreedom membership NOW, during  
the end-of-year drive here:

http://www.mindfreedom.org/join-donate

~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you did NOT receive this alert directly from the mindfreedom-news  
public e-mail alert system, please add your e-mail address to this  
free public no-spam service, which does not require membership:

http://www.intenex.net/lists/listinfo/mindfreedom-oregon-news

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